The Flavors of Fall

Happy Monday my friends.  It appears that it has finally started to feel a bit like fall around here.  We had a 90* day yesterday, and then a cold front moved in last night, bringing the season's first cold snap to our excited doorstep.  We adore autumn here, and welcome it with open arms, and windows. 

One way that we celebrate this beautiful season is with the season's first loaf of fall bread.  Something about the soft bread, hot from the oven, with the crisp crackling crust tickling my tastebuds, just makes fall set in for me. 

It could also be that my excitement for this tasty treat is also in its beauty and display.  Pictured here is the bread dish we have been using the past few years.  I love it, but I also wanted something with more of a fall theme.  My momma surprised me with a beautiful pumpkin platter that will be perfect for displaying our bread throughout the season.  It is my new favorite dish, and will be used quite often!  Pictures of that to come soon.  For now, here is a taste of fall from our cozy little homestead.

This tasty recipe first appeared in the article The Secret of Great Bread: Let Time Do the Work, by Mark Bittman in the November 8th, 2006 New York Times.

Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery

Time: About 1 1/2 hours plus 14 to 20 hours rising

- 3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting [I used bread, also suggested is substituting 1 cup whole wheat flour*.]
- 1/4 teaspoon instant [aka Rapid Rise, QuickRise, Instant Active Dry, Perfect Rise, or Bread Machine Yeast] yeast
- 1 1/4 [1 3/4] teaspoons salt
- Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 [1 1/2] cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees. [I put it on top of my fridge.]

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal [rice flour was suggested as it won't get gummy]; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart [about a 4-quart pot is preferred] heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 [10 or 15] minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Yield: One 1 1/2-pound loaf.

Comments

[Robyn]

I can't wait to try this!

[Christina]

Fall is definitely here!

This bread is sooooo yummy! And oh so easy (as long as it doesn't rise for more like 30 hours! lol